Question

Identify major empires in three of the following areas, c. 2000-250 CE, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Americas, and Europe, and those historical features that allowed them to build significant and sustainable political states. What, if any, are the principal similarities/dissimilarities among the empires you discussed Utilize and cite material from your textbook and a minimum of four primary sources from online readings (see link under Course Administration (these need to be different from those in Part One) to write this essay.

Answer 1

In 2000-250 CE Middle East, there was the rise of the Mesopotamian Empire which was characterised by the Cosmopolitan era when there an great deal of exchange between cultural practices and lifestyles. During this time, the strategic location of the empire between Europe and Asia allowed the Mesopotamians to establish their stronghold over trade between Europe and Asia and the access to the Mediterranean Sea further enhanced its maritime expeditions. Thus, the booming trade allowed for the dissemination of goods and ideas thereby leading to the increasing influence of the Mesopotamian empire in the region which soon established its name in the area of writing and literacy as well through a formal system of the ancient Babylonian script. The development of a system of Writing further led to the strengthening of the empire. At this time, trade was very influential and monopolised by the wealthy class while the peasants and craftsmen could not participate in external trade as they did not have connections with the powerful people of the Mesopotamian society. The availability of minerals like copper, silver, iron further led to the expansion of the market and it allowed the Mesopotamians to develop an elaborate toolmaking method.

Moving upwards from the Middle East, if we reach the continent of Europe the we see that the Byzantine empire (500-1453 C.E.) the name for the eastern Roman Empire, was a major empire at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. The Roman discovery of concrete proved to be an advantage in the development of Byzantium or Constantinople after the shift of the capital city from Rome under the rule of Constantine I. The Byzantine empire saw the emergence of the Romans as builders of roads and bridges which led to expansion and development of towns and cities in the empire. Some social and cultural changes also enabled the growth of the Byzantine empire. Although there was a continuation of the Roman state and the old Roman state traditions, Byzantium was oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture, and characterised by Orthodox Christianity. The adoption of Christianity as the state religion led to the development of a thriving canonical art culture. The empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe.

Further west across the Atlantic, we come across South America with a history of a wide range of human cultures and civilization. The Norte Chico civilization in Peru ( between the fourth and second millennia CE) is the oldest civilization in the Americas and one of the first independent civilizations in the world. Historians believe that it was the only civilization which was dependent on fishing instead of agriculture to support its population. This complex pre-Columbian era society included as many as 30 major population settlements largely supported by the presence of the three river basins - the Fortaleza, the Pativilca, and the Supe. The geographical advantage combined with the monumental architectures such as large earthwork platform mounds and sunken circular plazas allowed the Norte Chico people to develop a thriving society well into the era following the construction of the Egyptian pyramids in North Africa. It established a benchmark in the South American history for establishing the grounds for the later Mesoamerican civilization.